Swing



J. P. ME'EHAN Nov. 3, 1942.

SWING Filed Jan. 7, 1941 fizzle/2Z0:

I Java/wary.

m e e. M R n. M

Patented Nov. 3, 1942 i UNETE STAT S PAT iNg,

FFECE 2 Claims.

My invention has to do with swings and, in its more particular aspects, relates to improved means for suspending the seat member from the supporting frame.

A well-known shortcoming of present swing construction resides in the fact that the suspension members, by which the swinging seat is suspended from the stationary crown bar, obstruct the arm rest provided at the respective ends of the seat, making it necessary for the occupant to sit with his arms in an uncomfortable position. Another objection to the conventional suspension means, which are usually in the form of chains or flexible links secured to and extending upwardly from the top of the arm rest, is that they permit the seat member to be tilted over backwardly unless extreme care is taken to maintain the seat in a balanced position.

While my invention has other and additional advantages which will become obvious from the following detailed description of one presently preferred adaptation thereof, it is among its principal objects to cure those shortcomings and to provide a suspension means which does not obstruct the arm rests, which will prevent the seat member from being tilted over backwardly and which accomplishes these ends without impairing the free and comfortable swinging qualities of the swing.

For purposes of the following description, I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a swing device employing my improved suspension means; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged end View, on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, I show a supporting frame 4 having at each end a pair of upwardly converging angle iron legs 5 and, from one pair of said legs to the other at the top, there extends a crown bar 6 whose respective ends are confined between the pairs of legs by means of rivets l. Angular braces 8 extend from the legs 5 to the crown bar 5, being secured in position by screws 9. The seat member ID is comprised of a rectangular frame l5 in which is mounted the usual spring member, not shown, in the wellknown manner, there being a back rest I! pivotally connected to the seat frame in the conventional manner. Cover supporting bars H, I la, for supporting and stretching the usual canvas cover C, are pivotally secured to the legs in the well known manner. Notched adjusting bars l2 are pivoted at one end to the front bar H and pass through openings 13 in front leg 5 to permit adjustment of the cover supporting bars H and Ila. The supporting structure and seat structure described up to this point are more or less conventional and no claim is made to them per se.

Secured to the respective ends of the seat frame by rivets [9, or in any other suitable manner, I provide a pair of end plates 20, one at each end of the seat frame, which plates are here shown as being comprised preferably of sheet metal curved outwardly and downwardly at the top to provide an arm rest portion 2|. My improved suspension mechanism for each end of the swing is comprised of top link 24 pivotally connected to the crown bar 6 by means of an s-hook 25 having one end inserted in a hole through the crown bar and the other end pivotally secured to the upper end of link 24, and to the lower end of link 24 there is pivotally secured, by hook 26, the top end of a coil spring 21, the lower end of the spring terminating in a like hook 28. Hook 25, link 24 and spring 21 together form an elongated continuous flexible link assembly and for making the final connection to the seat ends 20, I provide a pair of outwardly arched, downwardly extending, oppositely disposed bars 30, each having a hole 3| adjacent its top end through which hook 28 passes to pivotally secure the top ends of the bars 30 to the spring 27. These respective bars 30 curve outwardly and thence inwardly around the outer ends of the arm rest 2| and are secured to the seat end 20 under the arm rests bymeans of bolts 32 or any other suitable means. A

chain link 35 is connected at one end to the back rest I! and at its other end to one of the arched bars 30.

From the foregoing description, it will be observed that the bars 30 do not form any obstruction for the tops and ends of the arm rests and, I

by virtue of the front bars 35 being substantially rigid, if the occupant should lean backward in the swing when the back rest is inclined backwardly to a considerable extent, the front edge of the swing is prevented from moving upwardly to an extent which would permit the seat member to be tilted over backwardly.

While I have resorted to considerable detail for the purpose of making my invention understood, I wish it understood that within the broader scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims, various modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a swing having a crown bar, a seat frame having upright end members, an arm rest carried atop each of the end members, and means for swingably suspending the seat frame from the crown bar, including a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly bowed, substantially rigid links pivotally secured respectively at their lower ends to the outer side faces of the respective end members beneath the respective arm rests, said links extending outwardly, upwardly and inwardly around and spaced from the ends of the arm rests and means pivotally securing the other ends of the links to the crown bar.

2. In a swing having a crown bar, a seat frame having upright end members, an arm rest carried atop each of the end members, and means for swingably suspending the seat frame from the crown bar, including a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly bowed, substantially rigid links pivotally secured respectively at their lower ends to the outer side faces of the respective end members beneath the respective arm rests, said links extending outwardly, upwardly and inwardly around and spaced from the ends of the arm rests, each of the said arm rests having a side portion overhanging the pivotal connection of the respective links to the end members whereby to prevent said pivotal connections from interfering with free use of the tops and ends of the arm rests, and connected link and spring means pivotally and resiliently suspending the other ends of the links from the crown bar.

JOHN P. MEEI-IAN. 

